Rugby- Lions reign supreme in Jukskei derby as Bulls continue to falter
The pieces are not quite fitting in place yet for the Bulls and their coach Jake White.
They suffered their third consecutive United Rugby Championship (URC) defeat with this 29-25 loss to the Lions at Loftus on Saturday afternoon which has dealt a blow to their play-off chances.
For most of the tournament, the Bulls have blown hot and cold and inconsistency reared its ugly head again as they lost to this lowly placed Lions side that has struggled all season.
After losses to the Scarlets and the Stormers, the Bulls were expected to return to winning ways but they were stunned at home by the Lions who have moved to 11th spot on the standings.
The Lions came into this match under pressure with only one win from their last five outings but they have refreshed their faint hopes of making it to the play-offs.
The opening 20 minutes of the match belonged to the Lions as they raced to a 17-point lead as a result of two tries by Edwill van der Merwe and Sanele Nohamba.
The first touchdown of the match was administered by Van der Merwe after he was released on the left wing and Nohamba increased their lead after he caught the Bulls defence napping with a clever tap and go.
The home side got two tries from Wandisile Simelane and Sbu Nkosi but the most impressive performer of the first half was Nohamba who went to the break with a personal tally of 18 points from one try, three penalties and two conversions.
A few minutes after the break, Simelane registered his second try after he received a clever pass from Sibongile Novuka and the Bulls later went into the lead with a try from Johan Grobbelaar.
Grobbelaar powered over the white line following a well-constructed rolling maul with Morné Steyn getting his first conversion.
But the Lions regained their lead with two successive penalties from Nohamba who had a good day with the boot and an overall return of 24 points on the day.
Bulls: Tries: Wandisile Simelane (2), Sbu Nkosi, Johan Grobbelaar; Conversions: Morné Steyn (1); Penalties: Morné Steyn (1)
Lions: Tries: Edwill van der Merwe, Sanele Nohamba; Conversions: Sanele Nohamba (2); Penalties: Sanele Nohamba (5)
